Westbury Hotel,
Bond Street,
Mayfair,
London,
W1S 2YF
0872 148 2964
The ViewLondon Review
The Westbury Hotel in Mayfair has just undegone a complete refurbishment of the building, which includes their Artisan restaurant.The VenueArtisan is tucked inside the Westbury Hotel in Mayfair, a moderately swanky location that’s good if you need to impress. The one-room restaurant is fairly large and Art Deco in style, with beige and gold columns and glittery chandeliers over the tables in the centre row. Other than the large, sparkling chandeliers, the room looks quite safe and doesn’t take any risks in the decor.
The AtmosphereThe feeling at Artisan is quite laid-back, with a low hum of conversation above the tinkling of cutlery as people enjoy their meals. Well-dressed hotel guests and Mayfair workers make up the mix of the crowd, and service is charming and perfectly helpful.
The FoodArtisan’s menu is quite classic, with various meat and fish options you’d expect for a quality hotel restaurant. The vegetarian options are few and far between, but if you are one, the chef will create a dish for you. Starters include tender, generous scallops with slices of mildly-spiced chorizo and a splash of squid-ink polenta, which is a deep gray colour that’s set off nicely by the red of the chorizo. For mains, the fillett of beef is tender and juicy, served on a bed of sharp green salsa and accompanied by with fried polenta, which is crisp on the outside and slightly gooey in the middle. Desserts are a bit more imaginative than the rest of the menu, and the chocolate mousse with grapefruit rates highly, although the chocolate sorbet that comes with it is perhaps a bit too bitter.
The DrinkThe wine list is enormous, but quite expensive even for Mayfair. Bottles average at about £30.00, but there’s also a large variety available the glass and the half bottle. As the list goes on for about 30 pages, though, there should be plenty of choices depending on your budget and your tastes.
The Last WordThe Artisan isn’t trying anything new or particularly unusual, but you can count on it as a safe bet. Good for diners with classic tastes and those who want to impress clients or a visiting parent or two.